Uchiha Clan
The was one of the four noble clans of Konohagakure,First Databook, page 215 and was also reputed to be the village's most powerful clan,Naruto chapter 7, page 2 producing shinobi that were exceptionally talented and battle-oriented. Together with the Senju clan, they founded Konohagakure, but is now almost extinct after the events of the clan massacre. Background Founding The Uchiha clan descended from the of the two sons of the . The elder brother inherited the Sage's "eyes", powerful chakra and spiritual energies. When it came time for the Sage to choose a successor, he questioned the two on what course of action they would follow to bring order to the world. The elder believed that power was the way to bring peace, while the younger believed love was the way. The Sage favoured the ideal of the younger brother, and therefore designated the younger as his successor, causing the elder to be filled with jealousy and hate.Naruto chapter 462, pages 12-13 From this hate came what calls the . From the younger son descended the Senju clan who would be the eternal rivals of the Uchiha.Naruto chapter 462, pages 14-17 However, the Uchiha suffered another more dangerous curse: a passionate love that can become a bottomless well of despair the moment the one they care for most is dead. Before the founding of the ninja villages, the Uchiha were one of the many mercenary clans for hire. Because of their Sharingan as well as battle prowess, the Uchiha clan came to be known as one of the two strongest clans, the other being the Senju clan. was particularly powerful, and, upon attaining the Mangekyō Sharingan, took control of the clan. Under his leadership the Uchiha grew stronger, conquering whatever clans they came upon, such that, whenever the Uchiha clan was hired for a job, the opposing side would hire the Senju, and vice versa.Naruto chapter 398, pages 16-19''Naruto'' chapter 399, pages 1-4 Konohagakure Some time before Konoha's founding, some members of the Uchiha clan began to willingly surrender, realising that they were outclassed by the Senju.Naruto chapter 624, page 13 The Senju later grew tired of the endless fighting, and approached the Uchiha clan with a peace treaty once again. Though rejected time and time before as Madara feared that an alliance would ruin the Uchiha, he willingly accepted after witnessing Hashirama's resolve''Naruto'' chapter 625, page 5. The two clans came together to form Konoha, with , leader of the Senju clan, being selected as Hokage. Madara believed that this was proof that the Uchiha would be made subservient to the Senju, but his clan saw this only as his attempt to rekindle the flames of war. They turned their backs on him, and he defected.Naruto chapter 399, pages 4-12 Following Madara's betrayal, having gone into hiding after faking his death in the battle against Hashirama, the Second Hokage gave the Uchiha control of the Konoha Military Police Force as a sign of trust. However, this was really just a way of keeping the Uchiha's emotions in check so the village would not end up with another Madara. Over the years, some Uchiha, such as , came to realise their ostracism and believed that they were being purposely kept out of Konoha's governing affairs. Though Setsuna and his followers tried to rebel against the village as Madara did, they found that it was too late to make a difference, as the Senju had already completely suppressed the Uchiha.Naruto chapter 399, pages 12-14 Despite Tobirama's attempts, it only caused a greater rift between the Uchiha and the village. The matter grew worse when a young , presumed dead at the time, witnessed the death of and become a follower of Madara's ideals. Massacre Years later, after the , Konoha began to suspect that an Uchiha was behind the attack because of their ability to control the Nine-Tails with their Sharingan.Naruto chapter 399, page 15 Tobi stated that the clan was forced to live in a corner of the village, ostracised from the rest of the community, and placed under heavy surveillance.Naruto chapter 399, page 16 This gave birth to ill-will amongst the clan and the Uchiha interpreted this as confirmation of what had warned them of years earlier, and began to plan overthrowing the village.Naruto chapter 399, page 17 disagreed with his father who was the then leader of the clan and militia 's coup d'état plan, and informed Konoha's leadership of what the Uchiha were up to. , who had been told to keep an eye on his best friend Itachi also disagreed with the clan's plan and joined Itachi in his mission to put a stop to it. He attempted to used the ability of his Mangekyō Sharingan: Kotoamatsukami to stop them, but once again, Danzō, determined to protect the village the only way he saw possible, stole Shisui's right eye from him. After this, Shisui met with Itachi and saddened that he had failed to stop the clan, gave Itachi his left eye before Danzō came after it as well, telling him to protect the village and the name of the Uchiha. The Third Hokage, who had disagreed with the treatment the Uchiha were receiving, tried to negotiate for a more peaceful solution, but as time passed and that strategy seemed to be getting them nowhere, Danzō took matters into his own hands and inveigled Itachi to commit the with threat of his clan's actions creating another war and innocent children, such as his little brother, becoming a casualty.Naruto chapter 590, pages 5-10 Within one night, the entire clan was slaughtered with only one known Uchiha left alive: Itachi's younger brother, . Sasuke would spend the next few years trying to avenge their family by killing Itachi, something Itachi had planned from the very beginning. After accomplishing this goal, Sasuke learned of Tobi's existence. Tobi, who is in fact , another survivor of the clan who was also the one behind the Nine-Tails' attack, told Sasuke about the Uchiha's history and why Itachi had wiped out the Uchiha, prompting Sasuke, with Tobi's help, to resolve to destroy Konoha.Naruto chapters 399-401 Sasuke would later be shown the truth by Itachi himself after he was reincarnated. Abilities The Uchiha were famous for their powerful chakra, exceptionally strong techniques, and natural aptitude for anything combat-related. The clan possessed an innate aptitude for Fire Release nature transformation, with even the youngest of members able to use it from just observation.Naruto chapter 223, pages 6-8 As such they have created several and use this nature transformation more skilfully than any other.Naruto chapter 315, page 13 Their signature technique was the Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.Naruto chapter 260, page 15 Clan members were not recognised as adults by the rest of the clan until they could successfully use this technique.Naruto chapter 223, page 9 The Uchiha were also highly known for their mastery of ninja tools. They themselves invented many shuriken move sets which required the use of thin metal wires, one example being the Windmill Triple Blades technique. They were apparently also somewhat skilled in barrier ninjutsu, having created the Uchiha Flame Battle Encampment which, still holding to their natural affinity for fire, created a barrier that burned whatever came in contact with it. The Uchiha clan were most feared for their powerful Sharingan, a kekkei genkai which gives them the ability to see the "colours" of chakra, allowing them to analyse and copy their opponent's skills, along with a number of other abilities. Only a select few members of the Uchiha clan manifested the Sharingan. Due to their natural affinity for battle, and their proficiency with ocular genjutsu, many ninjas considered it more tactically favourable to flee rather than face an Uchiha shinobi in one-on-one combat.Naruto chapter 257, pages 5-6 Among the techniques granted by the Sharingan, the Izanagi and Izanami are deemed to be forbidden, due to their effect of rendering the user blind in exchange for creating genjutsu capable of escaping death or trapping the opponent without failure. Though the clan was feared for their Sharingan, the eyes have also been transplanted into various characters outside the clan. Madara and Izuna were the first two Uchiha to awaken an advanced form of the Sharingan known as the Mangekyō Sharingan, which can be activated by the pain of losing close friends or family members. However, frequent use of the Mangekyō Sharingan deteriorates the user's eyesight and results in blindness. Only by taking the eyes of a sibling can one's vision be restored, a process that results in the creation of an . Itachi indicated that the intricacies of the Mangekyō Sharingan were only discovered after decades of trial and error, implying that many Uchiha throughout history had made the attempt to gain the Mangekyō Sharingan. One member of the clan, Madara, had managed to awaken the Rinnegan.Naruto chapter 560, pages 14-15 After he stole and integrated Senju DNA into his body, he noted that the dōjutsu did not manifest until he was nearing the end of his natural lifespan.Naruto chapter 606, page 13 Trivia * Uchiha is another way of pronouncing , which is the Uchiha clan symbol. Uchiwa can be used to fan flames, making the flame hotter — referring to the fact that the Uchiha is a clan of fire techniques users. * Attire-wise, the Uchiha have always favoured high-collared outfits with their clan's symbol proudly emblazoned on the back. Over the generations, their attire has changed with their attire initially consisting of a dark coloured mantle along with pants, which later became simple shirts and pants, all the while retaining the high collar. * Most of the powerful techniques exclusively used by the Uchiha (Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu, Susanoo, Izanagi, Izanami and Kotoamatsukami) are named after Shintō deities from the Japanese creation myth. * Most of the clan members tend to wear a black high-collared shirt with the Uchiha clan symbol on the back. * Itachi, Sasuke, and Obito are the three Uchiha that remained after the massacre, and all three eventually became affiliated with and like Madara and his brother Izuna, awoke the Mangekyō Sharingan. * In the earlier stages of the series, stated that there are rumours the Uchiha clan's Sharingan was derived from the Hyūga clan's Byakugan.Naruto chapter 78, page 13 However, Kurama is the only one to know the full truth about the Uchiha clan yet appears to have no intention of revealing what it knows.Third Databook, page 70 * According to Obito, the Uchiha clan is destined to a life of revenge against their hated enemies, the Senju clan and Konohagakure. However there are exceptions in the form of , and , who had opposing ideals. In addition, despite having fallen victim to it himself, during the Fourth Great Shinobi War, appears to have overcome his inborn anger and embraced the same ideals as his brother. * The clan had various places affiliated with them: ** A that was famous throughout the village. ** A as well as a secret meeting place under said shrine. ** A which runs through their compound. ** A supply base in that visited for supplies. ** A that served as the arena for the final battle between and . References